The College of Humanities has designed a Recruitment Workshop to provide GATs and faculty with hands-on instruction in the college’s progress and vision for recruitment, as well as strategies and best practices for recruiting in and out of the classroom.
Started by the COH Recruitment Task Force, the workshop includes topics like: communicating the value of a Humanities education, fostering student success, recruiting Gen Z, developing humanities-oriented career readiness, talent spotting, enhancing sense of belonging and sharing practical strategies for recruitment of majors. In its third year, the workshop is a requirement for first-year graduate assistants, but returning GATs and faculty are also welcome to attend.
“We are being very proactive in the College of Humanities. These workshops introduce how to do that and why it’s important. It’s the number one topic nationally in the humanities,” said Dorrance Dean Alain-Philippe Durand. “When we do a national search for a faculty job, whenever we do a national search for a job, we bring about three finalists to campus and when I interview people, I ask every one of them about how they will recruit students. Most cannot really answer the question.”
Each academic year, the College of Humanities enrolls about 100 incoming students as majors. But as of the start of the fall semester, the College of Humanities had 1,689 enrolled majors, more than half of whom have double or even triple majors. So most students who select a Humanities major do so after they’ve started at the university, said Karina M. Rodríguez, Director of Recruitment.
“The vast majority of our current students have declared or switched to humanities or added a second or third major after taking humanities classes. Every class is an opportunity to interact with students who are not already humanities majors,” she said.
Stephanie Springer, Director of Internships and Career Readiness and a Principal Lecturer in the Department of Public & Applied Humanities, said when students feel seen and valued, they’ll want to be in your classroom.
“We teach skills that employers seek, but sometimes graduating seniors are falling short in their ability to articulate their skills in resumes, cover letters and interviews. We can help COH students stand apart from their peers by being explicit about the connections,” she said.
Tania Leal, Assistant Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, said mentoring and talent spotting are crucial, but ultimately good teaching is the best recruitment.
“Confidence building can play a huge role. It may be the first time they hear ‘This is possible. This is an option for everyone who has a passion for it,’” Leal said. “Encourage involvement, in events, talks, clubs and research opportunities. Know how to connect students with opportunities outside the classroom.”
Veronika Williams, Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies, said recruitment mindset is all about sharing information
“When I’m teaching 101 classes, every time I have somebody declare a major or minor, I announce it in class and I give them a gift of an official department sticker,” she said. “This creates a sense of community and a snowball effect.”
Participants in the workshop also submitted ideas and questions through an online portal, which were answered by Recruitment Task Force member Borbala Gaspar, Lecturer in the Department of French and Italian and faculty advisor of the student-run Dolce Vita Italian club. Several questions and suggestions revolved around students participating in clubs and other campus activities
“I personally tell my students how important it is to be active members of clubs. For any job application if they mention that, it is a great example of how they are socially engaged,” she wrote in response. “Mentioning that they active in a club or they take an officer role is important in scholarship applications as well or study abroad scholarships. It matters!”
Sandra Kofford, a graduate assistant teaching a 101 course in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, said she appreciated the workshop for how it encouraged instructors to engage with students.
“Humanities is about being able to connect with others and understand them,” she said. “We need to share something about ourselves that we love to make a connection.”
All who complete the workshop receive a certificate of completion from the College.